Lift Heavy and Level Up!

Month: April 2016

May’s theme is POWER! The email states we will be getting items from Marvel, Warcraft and Dragon Ball Z. The crate will include a shirt, kitchen item and a figure but no mention of what franchise they will be from. I’m thinking the Marvel item will be from Civil War, and the Warcraft item will be from the movie.

I’m so HYPED! Watching the gif above brings me back to the days I was addicted to World of Warcraft and I loved watching DBZ growing up. I have high hopes for this box and hopefully I’m not disappointed. They would have to be trying to piss off people if they messed this up.

If you want to sign up use this LINK, also use the promo code SAVE3 for $3 off any subscription. I also get credit towards more Loot Crates if you use the link. If you have any questions, leave a comment at the bottom.

In this episode we discuss our week in CrossFit. We talked about our CrossFit/Fitness goals and had a short introduction to Warmachine. If you have any comments you can email us at barbellsandboxcars@gmail.com. You can also get a hold of us at our FACEBOOK PAGE. You can also comment here if you like.

The only pair of running shoes that I own are a pair of Kayano 21’s and my other shoes are for CrossFit. Since I don’t have an old pair of shoes that I would be okay with ruining, I decided to buy a pair of trail shoes for the Konqer OCR. I read a lot of good things about Inov-8’s trail running/mud shoes and I found a good deal online for the Trailroc 245’s.

Looks and Fit

The shoe looks like has the usual Inov-8 design, which is not a bad thing. The shoe is made up of a soft mesh which feels durable and breathable. The toe area is also reinforced with a fuse material design. The sole looks like it will maintain grip on the muddy trails.I thought this shoe was true to size. I ordered my regular size and it fit well. The toe box is a little wide which is great for people with wider feet. After lacing up and walking around a bit, I couldn’t wait to hit the course!

Performance

Konquer was my first OCR, and I don’t normally do trail runs. My running experience is all on pavement so I didn’t know what to expect out of this shoe. The first leg of the run was done on loose gravel and mud. The traction was great. I didn’t slip or slide on the steep inclines. My fellow teammates wore normal running shoes and they were having some traction issues.

During the mud section, the bottom of the shoe was covered in mud. I felt like I was running in cement shoes. After jogging on dry dirt/gravel, the mud would fall off and my shoes would feel light again. The water also drained quickly leaving only my socks feeling full of water. The shoe also handles rocks and other sharp obstacles well. I could still feel the ground but I wasn’t worried about injuring my feet.

Final Thoughts

This is a great overall trail shoe and I’m happy with the performance. I was nervous during the race and the last thing I wanted to worry about was my shoe. The durability might be an issue since the material is soft. Sharp limestone rocks are all around trails on Guam but I believe they will hold up. After I put some miles in, I’ll update this post. I’m excited to do more runs in these.

*This model may have been discontinued which is why it was on sale for a low price.

Nike Metcon 2: Electric Boogaloo

The Nike hype hasn’t died down with the release of the new Nike Metcon 2. I had a difficult time trying to pick up a pair at launch but they were sold out. My fiance was able to get them from Footlocker.com but they were back ordered. I waited until late February and I’ve been wearing them ever since. If you liked the previous version of the Metcon, you’re going to love the Metcon 2. I will be comparing these shoes to the previous versions which I have reviewed on this site. Check out my previous reviews on the Metcon 1’s for more info.

Looks, Fit and Construction

Over the past few weeks I’ve used these shoes for everything. They were my go to CrossFit and casual shoe. This was my favorite colorway from the launch selection. The gold on black and grey looks fantastic. If you take a closer look, the shoe looks very similar to the Metcon 1. The shoe is divided into four sections that can have different colors. The area around the laces are different but it’s not a huge change. The shoe fits like the Metcon 1, true to size. It took a week or two to break in, but that’s like most shoes. The mesh on the toe box is the same as the second wave of Metcon 1’s but has a different construction.

The sole doesn’t look too different from the previous version and that’s not a bad thing.

Changed the heel by adding more padding. Heel should slip less.

Added a plastic plate to the heel which reduces friction on the handstand pushups.

Performance

I put these shoes through its paces. CrossFit to casual wear, these shoes have held up great. The sole is a bit more rigid in the heel area; I didn’t feel as much compression during squats. The sole is still flexible and do not make a squeaking noise (yet). I still wouldn’t want to run long distances in them. A mile max, but I don’t think any shoe would help me at that point. My heels felt more locked in during running and jumps. The extra padding around the heel and a new heel design is probably the reason for the improvement. I haven’t done a lot of rope climbs yet but that’s on my list of things to test. The gym just built a rig that has a rope climb section.

The plastic heel works and I do feel less resistance. I’m not sure how much of a difference it’s going to be but it will take some stress off the sole. The wall has to be flat and smooth since that plastic piece will be able to grab onto cracks. I haven’t encountered that problem yet but it might be something to look at.

Final Thoughts

If you’re a fan of the first Metcon, you will definitely love this one. Nike took all the feedback and improved the shoe for the better. My only complaint from my first pair was the mesh on the top of the shoe but that looks like it has been fixed. I need to do more rope climbs and bang it up a bit to talk about the durability. I’m having a great time working out in these shoes and I’m sure you will too.

Monday

I attempted 16.5 toady and was able to hit a PR! Check out the post HERE.

Tuesday

Power Clean 1RM

We have been doing a lot of heavy power clean workouts lately and I was excited to test out my max. I warmed up to about 195 lb. and decided to go for 210 lb. as my PR. My attempt felt great but I did catch the bar a bit lower than normal. I took a three minute rest and attempted 215 lb. I struggled a bit but I was able to catch the bar high enough. I was caught a bit off balance but I was able to recover and finish.

Partner WOD

16 Minute AMRAP

6 pull ups
9 power cleans (95 lb.)
12 toes to bar

This was a fun partner workout and I was excited to do it. My partner and I decided to split the reps by alternating movements. I would start on the pull ups and then he would do the power cleans and I would finish with toes to bar. I wanted to finish eight rounds, which would put us at a round every two minutes. I felt this was achievable since my partner and I are similar in fitness. The toes to bar would probably be our hardest movement. I’m still not great at it but hopefully I can recover between rounds.

We started out great, doing the first round in under a minute. I knew we would be able to keep this pace so I decided to slow down a bit so that we wouldn’t die out halfway through the workout. We were able to keep going at a steady pace until the sixth round. My partner and I had to take longer breaks between movements which slowed our pace. We completed eight rounds, six pull ups and nine power cleans.

Friday

Back Squat – 6×2 at 70% (265 lb.)

Squats! I miss squatting heavy. Since our last max day, I’ve been meaning to start squatting more. Now that the open is over, I can get back to doing more heavy stuff. I was also thinking of doing more oly training as well. The squats felt great but I need to work on my form especially at the bottom. I noticed that my core is not tight when I hit the bottom. That was a big reason why I wasn’t able to hit higher numbers last time. I was able to correct that portion and for the rest of the sets I made sure my core was tight.

Group WOD

Sled Push and Sled PullsThis workout was broken up into two. The sled push would be first and the pull would be second. We had about a minute of rest in between. I had a great time doing this workout. We do not get to use sleds often and I made the most of it. The class was divided evenly, and we used a rogue sled with a 45 lb. plate. The distance was about 25 m. After the sled push, we would have to do burpees or air squats. We didn’t have much rest either since everyone was completing the sled push quickly. I didn’t have much issues with the movements thankfully.

The sled pull was the same distance except without the burpees or air squats. I haven’t done sled pulls in awhile and it was murder on my quads. It was a lot of fun however. Everyone was working hard and it was great motivation to push harder. This was a fun workout and I wish we did more of them.

After a few failed attempts at starting a podcast, Rodel and I decided to start one based on CrossFit and gaming. Our CrossFit discussion will be focused on our development throughout the week and discussing news from the community. The gaming portion will talk about anything gaming. From video games to table top games, we’ll be discussing them all.

We’re still new to podcasting and our equipment is not the best. Until we get better equipment, this will have to do. Let us know what you think in the comments.

What is Loot Crate?

Taken from the Loot Crate site, “Each month, Loot Crate™ ships a themed mystery box of the best geek, gaming, and pop culture gear to a subscriber base of over 100,000 Looters. We emphasize phenomenal support and content, and include gear from some of the most respected entertainment and consumer product companies in the world.” Loot Crate sells for $13.95 a month plus $6.00 shipping and handling. You can save on the costs by subscribing for longer periods as well. If you like this theme check out the link at the bottom to subscribe.

What’s in the Box?

I’m not a huge Star Trek fan but I think this shirt is from an episode. I like this shirt because the material is soft and it feels and fits great. The only downside is the color. It’s a light tan color which is unfortunate since lighter colors tend to stain easier.

Next up is an Alien vs Predator vinyl figure from Titans. The figure is slightly pose able with the arms and head able to move. I got a Xenomorph but I was hoping for the Predator. I have watched all the Predator films and one from the Aliens series.

The other wearable in this box is a reversible Daredevil/Punisher beanie. It’s a cool beanie but I’ll probably wear it only when I travel. Guam’s weather is not cold enough to warrant a beanie.

The Batman vs Superman item is a mighty wallet. I have a few mighty wallets from Loot Crate and I haven’t used any of them. Wish it was a different item.

This Loot Crate exclusive is a Harley Quinn comic. I’ll probably read it but I’m not a huge fan of DC ip’s.

Loot Crate also created another game app for this month. I haven’t played it yet but I’m not sure if I will download it. I’ll probably download it to try it out at my next game night. The pin for this month is a cool AVP inspired pin. You also get a free stream of Aliens or Predator on Vudu.com, or a free download of AVP: Three World War #1 from ComiXology.

The box has art inspired by Aliens and Predator.

Final Thoughts

I liked the majority of items in this months box. The beanie and the AVP figure were my favorites. The t-shirt is okay but I’m not a huge Star Trek fan. The wallet and comic are a miss for me.

If you want to sign up use this LINK, also use the promo code BOX5 to save $5 off your first subscription. If that code doesn’t work you can use SAVE3 for $3 off any subscription. I also get credit towards more Loot Crates if you use the link.

Monday

Wednesday

Partner WOD – Partner Murph

Run (800 m)

100 pull ups

200 push ups

300 air squats

Run (800 m)

I’ve never done Murph but it’s a famous workout. Just watching the games athletes last year get through it was impressive. Wednesday I had the opportunity to get through half of it and it was crazy. I can’t imagine doing it by myself. Thankfully I had a good partner to push me.

The run was done together and we broke up the other reps into 20 rounds of Cindy. The first 800 m was okay since I was fresh. I didn’t take off quickly and kept pace with my partner. We alternated rounds of Cindy which went well until my eighth round where my triceps were starting to give out. I went to failure and I wasn’t able to complete my last round of push ups. My partner and I swapped, and he did push ups while I did his air squats. We completed the run and finished at 27:40.

Monday

Redid 16.3 and was able to get an additional muscle up! Check out my post on it HERE.

Tuesday

Deadlifts – 5×3 at 80% (315 lb.)

Haven’t done heavy deadlifts in a month so I took it easy and slowly worked up to my 80%. I focused on my form and technique and felt great after.

Partner WOD

30 deadlifts (225 lb.)

10 box jumps (24 in.)

25 deadlifts (225 lb.)

15 box jumps (24 in.)

20 deadlifts (225 lb.)

20 box jumps (24 in.)

15 deadlifts (225 lb.)

25 box jumps (24 in.)

10 deadlifts (225 lb.)

30 box jumps (24 in.)

We decided to split the reps evenly at five reps per person which worked out great. Initially I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to handle the weight but I felt that I could recover during the box jumps. I didn’t have a lot of recovery time during this workout since my partner didn’t need much rest. We slowed down a bit towards the end but we finished the workout at 8:42. It was faster than expected since I thought we would finish after 10 minutes.

Wednesday

Partner WOD – 16 Minute Time Cap

Run (1000 m)

–Then AMRAP–

20 handstand push ups

20 pistol squats

20 row (cals.)

This was a fun workout since I did this workout with one of my gaming friends. He’s been looking for a way to lose weight and I recommended my gym, CrossFit Gof Metgot. He likes the gym and has been consistent with workouts. He’s been doing great and I hope he sticks with it. Another friend has just finished the on ramp and will be starting regular classes soon.The run was broken up into 100 m shuttle runs. We each did five runs and then started on the rest of the movements. We broke up the reps in half. I felt like 10 reps a round would be okay, and would have a good enough time to recover for the next movement. I was able to do the workout Rx and my partner had to scale the handstand push ups and pistols.

The run was different since it was a shuttle and not a straight run. I was able to keep the same pace throughout and recovered just in time for the rest of the workout. I was able to keep a constant pace on the handstand push ups. I did the reps unbroken except for the last set. I took a bit longer on the pistol squats however. I’m not as strong on pistols which caused me to take more time. The row was great. I was able to actively recover and not lose intensity. Our score was 3 rounds + 20 hspu’s + 20 pistol squats.

Thursday

Snatch Complex – 1 Rep Heavy

1 power snatch + 3 overhead squats

I’m starting to like snatch complexes. My wrist has been limiting a lot of my overhead work but today it wasn’t too bad. I warmed up light and worked up to a 135 lb. rep. I was limited on time so I didn’t add more weight. Also, 135 lb. is my 1RM for power snatches so I’m not sure if I could have went heavier.

WOD – EMOM for 8 Minutes

5 power snatches at 60% 1RM (85 lb.)
5 lateral burpees over barbell

This workout was going to be tough. I just finished a heavy snatch complex and it had burpees. My main goal was to sustain a high intensity, so I decided to try and finish all the reps before 30 seconds. I didn’t want to go with heavier snatches since I would have rested longer. I was doing well for the first few minutes, finishing the round around 20 seconds. I hit the wall around the fifth minute. I could feel myself slowing down finishing the reps around 25 – 30 seconds. I tried to push through it but I wasn’t able to finish the last round under 30 seconds. I finished at 40 seconds which is not too bad. I was able to sustain a high intensity for most of the workout. I’m happy with my performance.